UPDATE: Undergraduates Unplugged (3/25/06; RMMLA, 10/12/06-10/14/06)

Please notice that the deadline for paper submissions has been extended fromMarch 15 to March 25, 2006. We are still accepting proposals for the 2006Rocky Mountain MLA convention in Tucson, Arizona, October 12-14 2006.

The Special Topic Session: "Undergraduate Unplugged: Literature Matters" islooking for submissions from undergraduate students who have declared Englishas their major or who are still contemplating whether English is the way togo for them. At the very least (and most), we would like potentialparticipants to have a passion for literature and a desire and compulsion to write andtalk about that passion. RM/MLA provides an opportunity to undergraduates totest the waters, so to say, and to immerse themselves in the profession. Asa regional subdivision of MLA, RM/MLA allows undergraduates a first encounterwith public presentations and professional discourse in a comfortable andsupportive environment.

The panel, or panels (we can run as many as two), are reserved forundergraduates engaged in the study of literature--British, American or World,stretching from medieval to pop culture. We are looking for proposals that bestrepresent the academic potential of these students and that thoroughly engagewith the text at hand. All approaches are welcome, all literatures areappreciated, and submissions from all years are anticipated--freshman papers willreceive the same consideration as senior papers. We will accept as many as 8proposals and reserve two more spots for students who are interested in runningthe panel discussions.

Please announce this call in your classes and invite your students to submita 250 word abstracts (or a request to be involved in the organization of thepanels) by March 25, 2006, to Andrew McCarthy atandrew_mccarthy_at_mail.wsu.edu or Verena Theile at vtheile_at_wsu.edu. Attachments should be in Word or RTFformat. It is important that the proposal includes a presentation title and is accompanied by a brief sketch explaining how the paper originated and wherein the program the writer is located. Encourage your students to submit theirown work, please, since we need to be able to contact them directly andprovide them with the necessary conference information. Please note, too, thatpresenters need to have attained membership status with RMMLA by April 1 inorder to participate in the conference.